STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The search continues for the people who were in an apartment building near Miami when it collapsed overnight. Rescue teams have been carefully looking for survivors amidst the rubble.
Dan Bacaloglu is the K-9 coordinator with Northeast Search and Rescue in Stroudsburg and says when he saw the news of the collapse, his mind went into search and rescue mode.
"The obvious concern is how many people have been in the building, initially, how many potential subjects you are looking for," Bacaloglu said.
Bacaloglu has 25 years of experience in search and rescue in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He says a major concern the teams have to worry about is the structural integrity of the part of the building that is still standing.
"Urban search and rescue teams together with the search people and the search dogs, they go in with listening devices and cameras, but they also go in with structural engineers that make sure that the building is at least stable or can be stabilized by extra shoring. So there is a certain degree of safety for the rescuers."
There is always uncertainty in search and rescue missions, especially in building collapses like the one in Florida. Bacaloglu says it's not always the best outcome when you're looking for survivors.
"It is always sad when you feel that you got there, either too late, or there was nothing you could do, but even in those cases, you're bringing closure to a family, so it's always important to recover everybody."
Bacaloglu says the search and rescue teams from the Miami area are some of the best in their field, and he hopes for a positive outcome as the search for survivors continues.